March Devotions: Learning to See God More Clearly
Photo by Tyler Nix
MONDAY
Trusting God with Your Deep Desires
Psalm 37:4 (TPT)
Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life,
and he will provide for you what you desire the most.
Last week we posted our interview with Maryann, a 63-year-old woman who loves life and is having a great time dating Jim, a man she met on eHarmony. She had this to say about God and our desires:
We can’t make marriage our goal without being frustrated and disappointed if we don’t reach that goal. Goals are things we have power over and are attainable, while desires we hand to God.
If you’re having trouble handing your deep desires to God, consider these truths:
We can fully expect the Lord to do what He’s promised (Heb. 11:11).
He is incredibly faithful (Heb. 10:23).
He has good plans for us (Ps. 23:1; Jer. 29:11).
He loves to do things that are beyond the imagination (Eph. 3:20).
Today’s prayer: Father God, I believe You are more faithful than I know. Please help me to set my deepest longings in Your faithful hands and begin to trust You with the things I want most. In Jesus’ name, amen.
May your Monday be blessed!
TUESDAY
Making God Your Focus
Isaiah 54:5 (NIV)
For your Maker is your husband—
the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth.
Are you in a season of waiting?
Whatever you might be waiting for today—a new job, your spouse, for someone you love to be healed, your big break—take a deep breath and remember the facts:
You already have the most important thing any of us could ever have, because you’re a beloved child of God.
Your heart knows the Lord and gets to be with Him.
When your focus is on the Lord, the world around you gets sorted into its proper order.
If in the waiting time, you feel like you’ve lost your focus on God, consider these truths:
The Lord is gentle and tender toward us (Ps. 18:35).
We were made to look at Jesus (Heb. 12:1–2).
When He’s our focus, we have everything we want (Ps. 37:4).
He is delighted with us (Ps. 149:4).
Today’s prayer: My Father, please give me grace in this season to put my focus on You. Help me to put You first, before everything else, and may my heart be refreshed in You. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Tuesday be blessed!
WEDNESDAY
Letting God Build Your House
Psalm 127:1 (NLT)
Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
In her interview with BTO, Maryann said:
Let God build. Two people with firm foundations as individuals must lean on God. If two individuals without firm footing in their faith and a healthy emotional, social, mental, physical, and financial standing come together and lean on one another in an unhealthy way—things will eventually fall.
If you have a hard time trusting God and letting Him do what He wants in your life, consider these truths:
The Lord remembers His promises (1 Kings 8:56).
He takes care of our physical bodies (Luke 12:22–24).
He protects our things (Ps. 16:5 NLT).
He wants to carry all our cares and burdens for us (Ps. 55:22).
Today’s prayer: Father God, please help me to trust You in every situation. Thank You that You’ve never deserted me—not a single time—and I can expect Your faithful, tender care in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
May your Wednesday be blessed!
THURSDAY
Fearlessly Putting All Your Hope in God
Proverbs 13:12 (TPT)
When hope’s dream seems to drag on and on,
the delay can be depressing.
But when at last your dream comes true,
life’s sweetness will satisfy your soul.
We were made to be with God—to fix our eyes on Him and have a deep, real relationship with Him. Only in that place of love and intimacy are we able to wait with grace for the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams.
If you’ve been disappointed and now you’re having trouble putting your hope in God, consider these truths:
The Lord will complete what He started (Phil. 1:6).
Our “few” acts of faithfulness mean a lot to Him (Matt. 25:23).
Those who trust in Him will never be ashamed (Ps. 34:5).
Today’s prayer: Father, thank You that You are working on my behalf even when I can’t see it. Would You open my eyes so I can perceive how You’re moving to complete what You’ve promised me? In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Thursday be blessed!
FRIDAY
Seeing Yourself the Way God Sees You
Psalm 139:23–24 (NIV)
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Do you ever feel like the “bad” parts of you outweigh the good parts?
Maybe you have a past that embarrasses you now, or there are situations and events you wish you could go back and redo. Perhaps you’re more aware of your shortcomings than you are of God’s love.
If you have trouble seeing yourself the way God sees you, consider these truths:
The Lord is a gentle Father who even teaches us how to walk (Hos. 11:3).
He takes away all our sin and puts HIS righteousness in its place (2 Cor. 5:21).
We are qualified in His sight (Col. 1:12).
He gives us salvation freely. It isn’t something we have to work for (Rom. 6:23).
Today’s prayer: Father, I choose to see myself the way You see me. Please remove the blinders from my eyes so I can really start to understand how much You love me and how You really have completely wiped away my sins. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Friday be blessed!
SATURDAY
Living Without Shame and Self-hatred
Psalm 139:1–2 (NIV)
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
God knows the good parts of us, the things we admire about ourselves. But He also knows the “painful” parts we don’t admire at all, and they don’t scare Him away. That’s one of the most important things we can learn in life—that we can run to God any time we want to, just as we are.
Many believers in Jesus allow their past mistakes to build sharp, thorny walls between them and God. But the Lord doesn’t keep a record of the wrong things we do (1 Cor. 13:5). He acts in love instead.
If you feel like God doesn’t really “like” you, consider these truths:
The Lord fought to have us at a time when we didn’t even know Him (Rom. 5:8).
His love never stops (1 Chron. 16:34).
We have nothing to prove in His sight (Matt. 11:28–29).
Again and again He saves those who don’t deserve it (Ps. 107).
He’s a friend of sinners. Even at our worst, we get to have Him (Matt. 11:19).
Today’s prayer: My Father, You see everything about me, and yet You still desire to draw me close to You. Your love is amazing and full of grace, and each day I want to discover it more and more. In Jesus’ name, amen.
May your Saturday be blessed!
SUNDAY
Trusting in God to Be Your Rescuer
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)
Lord, be gracious to us;
we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
Do you feel like you’re alone/on your own? That you have to be strong “or else”? Or if you can’t prove your strength, you’ll be lost?
The Lord is your Rescuer and Redeemer, and He delights in being these things for you.
If you’re having trouble believing that God is your Defender and strength, consider these truths:
The Lord saves us from unjust enemies who are stronger than we are (Ps. 35:10).
He faithfully guards us from the evil one (2 Thess. 3:3).
He is with us, which means we can be bold and act with courage as we do the great things He’s given us to do (Josh. 1:9; Eph. 2:10).
He is the Deliverer and our hiding place (Ps. 32:7).
Today’s prayer: Father God, I trust You to come and save me. Thank You that Your Word is true and real in my life and that I will get to see You be God for me. In the name of Jesus, amen.
May your Sunday be blessed!
Interested in more? Check out some of our other prayers and declarations:
For more information on sex, marriage, and finding the person who is right for you, get a copy of Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more. You can also order the book in Spanish.